International news wire services reported on Tuesday that several of Kenya's local TV channels were censored and abruptly taken off the air as part of a draconian government black-out ahead of the Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga getting sworn in as president on Tuesday.
Several of Kenya's TV channels were abruptly yanked off the air on Tuesday morning to prevent any broadcast of the ceremony to Kenyan viewers, that is set to take place in Nairobi's Uhuru Park.
Radio Africa's Bamba TV was blacked out on Tuesday morning just minutes after Kenya's private channels, Citizen and NTV, were also abruptly censored and shut down. Inooro TV was also shut down, along with several Kenyan radio stations.
Besides Bamba, pay-TV providers including MultiChoice Kenya's DStv Kenya, and Zuku TV lost the transmission of several channels, with DStv telling viewers "apologies for the interruption in your viewing. We are working on the problem".
"The Communications Authority of Kenya has switched off Citizen Television and Radio in most parts of the country over the coverage of the swearing-in plan," the Citizen said on its website.
Kenya's dictatorial Communications Authority (CA) told TV stations that live television coverage of the swearing in ceremony was banned.
Nation Media's free-to-air platforms are also shut down because of the shocking censorship in the East African country.
Kenya's government warned the country's media not to cover Tuesday's event.
Kenya is experiencing political upheaval after president Uhuru Kenyatta won a re-run of the country's national elections on 26 October 2017 - an election that Raila Odinga boycotted and calls "a sham".
Kenya's press is supposed to bring and show readers, listeners and viewers the news, whatever it is - whether its comfortable or uncomfortable to see.
